Liverpool secured a spot in the FA Cup’s fourth round with a commanding 2-0 victory over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Both teams created several promising opportunities in the first half, with near misses hitting the crossbar.
However, it was the Reds who broke the deadlock in the 80th minute when Jakub Kiwior inadvertently deflected Trent Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick into his own net.
The game was sealed for Liverpool in stoppage time by a confident finish from Luis Diaz, solidifying Jurgen Klopp’s team’s progression to the next round, scheduled to take place later this month.
For a detailed analysis of Liverpool’s exceptional performance, Neil Andrew (@bleedinglfcred) provides an insightful breakdown.
What a team performance at the Emirates Stadium with some key players missing out!
Neil Andrew: Yes, an outstanding performance where we showed great resilience as well as a bit of luck whilst being outplayed in the first half. The second half was a much more even game after the changes and we looked a real threat every time we went forward. I think with the players missing, it was probably a slightly unexpected but very welcome victory.
Should Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, and Luis Diaz be our front three until Mohamed Salah returns from the AFCON?
Neil Andrew: Ironically the problems we had in the first half today may have led to us stumbling across the solution with Diaz on the right. I would start those three on Wednesday but they will need to share the workload going forward with Gakpo and maybe Elliott.
Ibrahima Konate hitting top form at the right time with the Carabao Cup semis coming up against Fulham on Wednesday night.
Neil Andrew: Ibou was outstanding again today and proved to be a proper leader in the absence of the skipper. He is arguably the main reason we can play so open so let’s hope he can stay fit as he is so important, especially with Matip missing long term. Quansah also proved once again that he is more than ready when called upon.
Any changes you would like to make against the Cottagers at Anfield?
Neil Andrew: As the game is followed by a ten-day break, I would like to see us go as full strength as possible. Options are limited at the moment but would expect Van Dijk to return. It is then a decision as to who plays on the right of midfield between Elliott and Gravenberch but I would stick with the former.
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